The Complete Jewish Bible CJB
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 When Shlomo had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of ADONAI filled the house,
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Now when Solomon's prayers were ended, fire came down from heaven, burning up all the offerings; and the house was full of the glory of the Lord.
2 so that the cohanim could not enter the house of ADONAI; because the glory of ADONAI filled ADONAI's house.
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And the priests were not able to go into the house of the Lord, for the Lord's house was full of the glory of the Lord.
3 All the people of Isra'el saw when the fire came down, and the glory of ADONAI was on the house; they bowed down with their faces to the ground on the flooring; prostrating themselves, they gave thanks to ADONAI, "for he is good, for his grace continues forever."
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And all the children of Israel were looking on when the fire came down, and the glory of the Lord was on the house; and they went down on their knees, with their faces to the earth, worshipping and praising the Lord, and saying, He is good; for his mercy is unchanging for ever.
4 Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices before ADONAI.
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Then the king and all the people made offerings before the Lord.
5 King Shlomo offered a sacrifice of 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. Thus the king and all the people dedicated the house of God.
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King Solomon made an offering of twenty-two thousand oxen, and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the people kept the feast of the opening of the house of God.
6 The cohanim stood at their appointed stations, while the L'vi'im used the instruments that David the king had provided for making music to ADONAI in order to "give thanks to ADONAI, for his grace continues forever,"by means of the praises David had composed. Opposite them the cohanim sounded trumpets; and all Isra'el stood up.
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And the priests were in their places, and the Levites with their instruments of music for the Lord's song, which David the king had made for the praise of the Lord whose mercy is unchanging for ever, when David gave praise by their hand; and the priests were sounding horns before them; and all Israel were on their feet.
7 Shlomo also consecrated the center of the courtyard in front of the house of ADONAI; because he had to offer the burnt offerings and the fat of the peace offerings there. For the bronze altar which Shlomo had made could not receive the burnt offering, the grain offering and the fat.
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Then Solomon made holy the middle of the open square in front of the house of the Lord, offering the burned offerings there, and the fat of the peace-offerings; for there was not room on the brass altar which Solomon had made for all the burned offerings and the meal offerings and the fat.
8 So Shlomo celebrated the festival at that time for seven days, together with all Isra'el, an enormous gathering; [they had come all the way] from the entrance of Hamat to the Vadi [of Egypt].
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So Solomon kept the feast at that time for seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great meeting, for the people had come together from the way into Hamath and from as far as the river of Egypt.
9 On the eighth day they held a solemn assembly, having observed the dedication of the altar for seven days and the festival for seven days.
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And on the eighth day they had a holy meeting; the offerings for making the altar holy went on for seven days, and the feast for seven days.
10 Then, on the twenty-third day of the seventh month, he sent the people away to their tents full of joy and glad of heart for all the goodness ADONAI had shown to David, to Shlomo and to Isra'el his people.
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And on the twenty-third day of the seventh month, he sent the people away to their tents, full of joy and glad in their hearts, because of all the good which the Lord had done to David and to Solomon and to Israel his people.
11 Thus Shlomo finished the house of ADONAI and the royal palace. Everything that Shlomo had set his heart on making in the house of ADONAI and in his own palace he accomplished successfully.
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So Solomon came to the end of building the house of the Lord and the king's house; and everything which it was in his mind to make in the house of the Lord and for himself had been well done.
12 ADONAI appeared to Shlomo by night and said to him, "I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice.
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Now the Lord came to Solomon in a vision by night, and said to him, I have given ear to your prayer, and have taken this place for myself as a house where offerings are to be made.
13 If I shut up the sky, so that there is no rain; or if I order locusts to devour the land; or if I send an epidemic of sickness among my people;
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If, at my word, heaven is shut up, so that there is no rain, or if I send locusts on the land for its destruction, or if I send disease on my people;
14 then, if my people, who bear my name, will humble themselves, pray, seek my face and turn from their evil ways, I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin and heal their land.
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If my people, on whom my name is named, make themselves low and come to me in prayer, searching for me and turning from their evil ways; then I will give ear from heaven, overlooking their sin, and will give life again to their land.
15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears will pay attention to the prayer made in this place.
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Now my eyes will be open and my ears awake to the prayers made in this place.
16 For now I have chosen and consecrated this house, so that my name can be there forever; my eyes and heart will always be there.
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For I have taken this house for myself and made it holy, so that my name may be there for ever; and my eyes and my heart will be there at all times.
17 As for you, if you will live in my presence, as did David your father, doing everything I have ordered you to do, and keeping my laws and rulings;
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And as for you, if you will go on your way before me as David your father did, doing whatever I have given you orders to do and keeping my laws and my decisions:
18 then I will establish the throne of your rulership, as I covenanted with David your father when I said, 'You will never lack a man to be ruler in Isra'el.'
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Then I will make strong the seat of your kingdom, as I gave my word to David your father, saying, You will never be without a man to be ruler in Israel.
19 But if you turn away and abandon my regulations and mitzvot which I have set before you, and go and serve other gods, worshipping them;
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But if you are turned away from me, and do not keep my orders and my laws which I have put before you, but go and make yourselves servants to other gods, giving them worship:
20 then I will pull them up by the roots out of the land I have given them. This house, which I consecrated for my name, I will eject from my sight; and I will make it an example to avoid and an object of scorn among all peoples.
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Then I will have this people uprooted out of my land which I have given them; and this house, which I have made holy for my name, I will put away from before my eyes, and make it an example and a word of shame among all peoples.
21 This house, now so exalted - everyone passing by will be shocked at the sight of it and will ask, 'Why has ADONAI done this to this land and to this house?'
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And this house will become a mass of broken walls, and everyone who goes by will be overcome with wonder, and will say, Why has the Lord done so to this land and to this house?
22 But the answer will be, 'It's because they abandoned ADONAI the God of their ancestors, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and took hold of other gods, worshipping and serving them; this is why [ADONAI] brought all these calamities on them.'"
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And their answer will be, Because they were turned away from the Lord, the God of their fathers, who took them out of the land of Egypt, and took for themselves other gods and gave them worship and became their servants: that is why he has sent all this evil on them.
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.